Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability in High-Risk Industrial Operations

Makwana, Dr. Chiragkumar

doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i9.148

Volume 02, Issue 9

Published on: September 2026

ASSESSMENT OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE CAPABILITY IN HIGH-RISK INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS

Dr. Chiragkumar Makwana

Labour Employment & Environment Development Council, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

DOI:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i9.148

Article Status

Plagiarism Passed Peer Reviewed Open Access

Available Documents

Download PDF Review Report

Abstract

Emergency preparedness is a critical part of safety management in high-risk industries, where an uncontrolled event can escalate into a fire, explosion, toxic release, equipment failure or multiple-casualty incident. Most industrial organisations maintain emergency plans, response equipment and nominated personnel, but the existence of these arrangements does not itself establish that the organisation can respond effectively under actual emergency conditions. This review examines preparedness from a response-capability perspective. Recognised occupational safety and emergency-management standards, regulatory guidance and recent research were reviewed to identify the elements that influence operational readiness. Seven connected dimensions emerged: risk and emergency scenario identification; emergency planning, command and decision-making; Emergency Response Team capability; emergency equipment and infrastructure; communication, evacuation and accountability; drills and exercises; and external coordination, recovery and organisational learning. The paper proposes an Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability Index (EPRCI), a weighted framework that organisations can use to assess these dimensions together and identify weaknesses that conventional document reviews may miss. The review indicates that a material gap can exist between preparedness recorded on paper and capability demonstrated under pressure. Emergency preparedness should therefore be managed as a measurable, risk-based and continuously tested operational capability rather than as a periodic compliance exercise.

Keywords— emergency preparedness; emergency response; industrial safety; high-risk industry; emergency drills; risk management

How to Cite this Paper

Makwana, C. (2026). Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability in High-Risk Industrial Operations. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(9), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i9.148

Makwana, Chiragkumar. "Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability in High-Risk Industrial Operations." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 9, 2026, pp. 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i9.148.

Makwana, Chiragkumar. "Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability in High-Risk Industrial Operations." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 9 (2026): 1-9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i9.148.

Search & Index

References

International Organization for Standardization, ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems - Requirements with Guidance for Use. Geneva, Switzerland: ISO, 2018.

UK Health and Safety Executive, "Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (COMAH)," [Online]. Available: https://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/comah15.htm. [Accessed: Sep. 18, 2026].

Xiong, H. Qi, Z. Li, and Q. Zhang, "Where risk, where capability? Building the emergency management capability structure of coal mining enterprises based on risk matching perspective," Resources Policy, vol. 83, Art. no. 103695, 2023, doi:

10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103695.

P. Pramayu, F. Lestari, D. Erwandi, and B. Besral, "Emergency management in coal mining: Developing a capability-based model in Indonesia," Safety, vol. 11, no. 4, Art. no. 96, 2025, doi: 10.3390/safety11040096.

Jin, X. Tong, X. Zheng, Y. Li, B. Dong, and Q. Liu, "Integrated cloud assessment of emergency response capability maturity in chemical parks based on '4SM' and improved portfolio empowerment," Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 97, Art. no. 105696, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jlp.2025.105696.

International Labour Organization, "Emergency preparedness," [Online]. Available: https://www.ilo.org/publications/emergency-preparedness. [Accessed: Sep. 18, 2026].

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "29 CFR 1910.38 - Emergency action plans," US Department of [Online]. Available: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.38

. [Accessed: Sep. 18, 2026].

International Organization for Standardization, ISO 22320:2018 Security and Resilience - Emergency Management - Guidelines for Incident Management. Geneva, Switzerland: ISO, 2018.

UK Health and Safety Executive, "Emergency response and spill control: Technical measures for COMAH establishments," [Online]. Available: https://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/sragtech/techm easspill.htm. [Accessed: Sep. 18, 2026].

International Organization for Standardization, ISO 22398:2013 Societal Security - Guidelines for Exercises. Geneva, Switzerland: ISO, 2013.

Ethical Compliance & Review Process

•All submissions are screened under plagiarism detection.
•Review follows editorial policy.
•Authors retain copyright.
•Peer Review Type: Double-Blind Peer Review
•Published on: Sep 19 2026

CCBYNC

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt this work for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.

View License

Back to Volume 02, Issue 9 View All Issues Next Article

← Previous Article

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Labour Market: Opportunities, Challenges and Economic Implications

Next Article →

Assessment of Radiation Safety Awareness Among Medical Professionals and Students: A Medical College-Based Study